Day 247: I've spoken often about how important it is to capture a side view of a bird if you want to use your photo to make an identification. In the side view, a bird presents the greatest number of field markings possible. But what about plants? Ah, there we're getting into tougher territory.
Many plants have inflorescences which rise well above their leaves. This often means that you can't capture the flower and leaf in the same image. Growth habit also supplies a definitive characteristic. When given a species like Suksdorfia ranunculifolia ("the Suksdorfia with the buttercup-like leaves"), it's best to take three views for your records.
This lovely Suksdorfia often exhibits red-centered and yellow-centered flowers in the same panicle, the panicles rising as much as a foot above leaves which resemble those of common buttercups. When individual blossoms first open, their centers are yellow. As they age, they fade to red. The plant's preferred habitat is somewhere its "feet" can be kept cool and moist, and therefore can be found where seeps emerge from rock. In the Park, it is most common in Stevens Canyon.
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